ERIN McCRACKEN / COURIER & PRESS
Nate Moore, 4, gives his soon-to-be step-mother, Michelle Eubanks, 23, both of Ridgway, Ill., a hug to cheer her up following prayer service held at St. Joseph's Catholic Church's Parish Center on Sunday, March 4, 2012. Eubanks, a life-long member of the church, planned to get married at the140-year-old Catholic Church in August 2012. After hearing the news that Wednesday's EF4 tornado damaged all but the altar of the church, Eubanks was "heartbroken" and has shed many tears over the loss of such a landmark in the community. Eubanks says she will get married at the church, which holds such a huge place in her heart, even if it is outside where it once stood or in front of new construction. Although Eubanks and the community grieve for the loss of their church they are thankful their community did not lose any of its residents and pray for their neighbors in Harrisburg,Ill., who are grieving for the loss of six of its residents.

RIDGWAY, Ill. - Standing in the St. Joseph Catholic Church's Parish Hall — in front of a copper cross rescued from the wreckage of the 140-year-old church — the Rev. Steven Beatty looked at the overflow crowd of more than 400 people packed in for the special Sunday night service.

Though one lifelong parishioner of the small Ridgway congregation described the 32-year-old priest as "wise beyond his years," Beatty didn't need to go far to find his inspirational words for this one.

"You've been the sermon this week," he told the crowd, "the best I've ever seen."

The Southern Illinois town is still recovering from damage sustained because of a tornado early Wednesday morning that destroyed St. Joseph Church as well as other buildings in the community. Beatty, who has been the pastor of the church and three others in Gallatin County for about a year and a half, was in the rectory at St. Joseph when storm hit.

The damage shifted Sunday morning's mass to St. Mary Immaculate Conception Church in nearby Shawneetown, Ill. The two churches normally alternate hosting Sunday service, while the two other nearby churches Beatty serves rotate Saturday evening mass. For the community, though, the church was much more than just a house of worship for many, said 55-year-old Randy Drone, a fifth-generation parishioner.

"It was more like a beacon — if you asked me directions in Ridgway I would say 'Look for the church steeple and it's three blocks east of that' or whatever, so it was a landmark," he said. "As you can see a church is not just a building ... it's the people, but that particular building is part of Ridgway, not just the Catholic community."

But more importantly, Drone, who is also a Gallatin County councilman, noted all of Ridgway's 869 residents survived Wednesday's storm, a fact noted by many Sunday, including town mayor Becky Mitchell.

"Given the extent of the damage to our structures and around town," Beatty said, "I assumed we were dealing with a mass casualty situation. "It only took a few hours to realize that people were accounted for and safe and we're just so grateful for that."

Those in attendance also took time to remember those who did perish in Wednesday's tornadoes outbreak. The names of the six victim's names from nearby Harrisburg, Ill., were read individually and six candles were lit at a makeshift altar as a memorial near the end of Sunday's service

Other pieces already salvaged from the damaged church were also brought in and put on tables for the crowd to look at. Drone said the church's altar was left almost unscathed and will be taken to a studio for holding.

Just seeing the cross from the steeple again in the parish hall would "lift everybody's spirits," Beatty said.

That effort to preserve anything that survived the storm will continue, Beatty said, though he requested that parishioners don't do it themselves. He also said he was getting offers of assistance from all over the country — the same places where complete strangers were seeing photographs of the damage.

"I keep saying this week I understand that all kinds of people are looking at photos of our town and saying, 'I feel sorry of the people who live there,'" he said. "I feel sorry for those who don't. You folks are amazing and I'm so happy to be here with you. I wish you peace in the days ahead. The difficult days are not behind us. But surely we are convinced by now that we will be just fine."

All of the Bible passages and songs during Sunday's service reflected that sentiment. The opening hymn: "How Can I Keep from Singing," which includes the line "No storm can shake my inmost calm," repeated three times.

Hopefully that recovery process also includes rebuilding the physical church, too, said Drone. But Beatty said it's too early to say for sure that the Gothic structure will be rebuilt.

"There's not a single person here who doesn't want to see that happen," he said. "But it would be premature to make plans."